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E.R DUTTON & COMPANY -NEW YORK. 








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PIP, SQUEAK AND WILFRED 


a 



PIP, SQUEAK, and WILFRED 

THEIR "LUVLY" ADVEMTURES 

BY 

“UNCL^^:t)ICK” 

II 



ILLUSTRATED THROUGHOUT BY B. T>AYKE 


NEW YORK 

E. P. DUTTON y COMPANY 

681 FIFTH AVENUE 


Copyright, 1921, 

By E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 
All Rights Reserved 


0)CI.A622821 


printed In the United States of H:ticrte* 



31 Oci*. 


PIP, SQUEAK AND WILFRED 


« 


ALL ABOUT OUR FAMILY: HOW SQUEAK CAME. 


(^QUEAK is a lady, so we will begin with her first. She started, like other birds, with 

being an egg. It was a beautiful, speckled egg — ^you would 
have loved it for your collection — and it lay on the rocks 
of an island just off the coast of South Africa. There 
were hundreds of other penguins’ eggs on the island, but 
the mother birds just played about and took very little 
notice of their eggs — except Squeak’s mother. She was 
particularly pleased with her egg, because it was her first. 

She sang songs of joy all day and 
wondered and wondered, and suddenly, 
one hot afternoon, the egg cracked and a funny, fluffy little 
head popped out. It was Squeak taking her first peep of the world. 

Nobody Was more surprised than Squeak’s, mot her at the sudden 
appearance of the little chick. She was most tremendously impressed. 

6 



Squeak as ah Eao. 


J2is-^ 


A Fluffy Head Popped 
Out. 


DISCOVERED TALKING TO CHILDREN AT THE ZOO. 

Years pass and we next see Squeak at the London Zoological Gardens (don’t ask me 
how she got there, because I haven’t the faintest idea), and I discovered what a wonder- 
ful bird she was in a curious way. I was walking past the penguins’ pond when I heard 



her say — or at least I thought I heard her say — “ Hullo duckie ! ” to a baby who vvas 
looking through the bars. When the baby said “ I am two,.” Squeak replied, “ How 
lovel.y!” “Lovely” — or “ luvly ” as she once spelt it — is Squeak’s favourite word. 
That is why these are “ luvly adventures.” 

7 


PIP’S BEGINNING WAS VERY HUMBLE. 

Pip’s arrival was not a bit romantic. Nobody knows where he was born. He was 
discovered by a policeman on the Embankment, begging tit-bits from office boys as they 
ate their lunch. He was arrested and taken to the police station, and from there sent 


to a dogs’ home. 

It was not long 
covered he was no 
knew all the usual 
begging, fetching 
hands, and carry- 
sticks) by heart, 
believe, could do 
wards if he liked, 
a-rrived he was 
pressed. 

I remember ho vv 
whine, wagged his 
his approval, gave 


I bought him for half-a-crown. 


ro POLICE 
5r AT 



‘rilii 




1 

f 

1 


Aeeested and taken to the Police Station. 
tail, shut one eye, sniffed, growled, and 
her a lick. From that time they have 


before I dis- 
ordinary dog. He 
dog tricks (such as 
slippers, shaking 
ing stones and 
and, I verily 
them all back- 
When Squeak 
immensely im- 

he gave a little 
finally, to show 
been inseparable 


friends. He hopes shortly to celebrate his fifth birthday. 


8 


LITTLE WILFRED MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN. 

Of all three pets, Wilfred had easily the cosiest and happiest early 
days. He was born in a delightful palace underground. It was the 
warmest, jolliest home in the world, lined with soft moss and grasses, 
^d Wilfred’s mother had no worries whatever. She used to go out 
and nibble, come home and rest, and then go 
out and nibble again. Wilfred did this 
^ for some time but he soon got tired of 
thing more exciting. 



it — he wanted some- 
So one day he left his 
resting and ran gaily out of 
you see here in the picture, and 
He was playing in a field when 
found him. 

I am afraid you have found this 


Wilfred Leaves Home. 


mother as she was 
the front door, as 
started a new life. 
Pip and Squeak 

page a little difficult 


to read, but you must blame Wilfred, not me. We had to give a picture of his home. 

9 


OTHER WELL-KNOWN MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY. 



Aont Emma. 

She looks very severe, but 
is really very sweet. She 
has a parrot, and lives at 
No. 6, Birdcage Villas, a 
n ce house in the Suburbs. 



Christopher. 

A mischievous but lovable 
nephew, who sometimes 
stays with me in the holi- 
days. He is going to be an 
explorer when he grows up. 




Angeline. 

Our little maid-of-all-work. 
She loves Pip and Squeak, 
and makes beautiful pies 
and puddings for us to eat. 
She’s called a “ treasure.” 


10 


OUR HOUSE ON “THE EDGE” OF LONDON. 


Our house is quite close to the country — in fact we live on 
the edge of London. If you walk along our road and take the 
first to the left and the second to the right you come to the 
last lamp-post. When we get past this lamp-post we know w'c 
are in the country, for quite close is a haystack and a wood. 
Going out picnicing on a sunny day we say, “ Good-bye, silly 
old lamp-post ! ” and are very glad to get past it. But on 
winter nights, when the road is very dark and still, and the 
trees wave about like angry giants, we welcome its twinkling 
light and say, “ Dear old lamp-post ! ” as w'e pass. 

We have green blinds to our win- 
dows and a row of forget-me-nots 
At the back there is a lawn and 
lilac trees and gooseberry bushes. My pets have lovely games 
of hide-and-seek in the garden.. Pip has one special corner to 
himself — he growls when you go near it. It is the place where 
he buries his bones. He thinks it wise to guard against “ a 
rainy day.” 

Of course, like nearly all grown-ups, I have “ an office.” I 
go to it every morning and come home every night. You see 
here the door of my office. It is the place where I work. 




OoB House. 

along the front path. 


11 


EARLY DAYS: MY PETS* FIRST CHRISTMAS PARTY- 


As the “ Fairy 
Queen ” and “ Prince 
Charming ” Pip and 
Squeak made a suc- 
cessful debut at the 
party. Pip wore a tea- 
cosy for a hat and 
Squeak a paper golden 



crowm. They went off 
very gay and grand 
and had a gorgeous 
time. This was one of 
the first parties Pip 
and Squeak ever at^ 
tended — ^nowadays they 
are asked out to all sorts 



of social 
f uiicti ons. 
In fact their 
“engagement 
book” is 
quite full 
up for some 
m o n t h s 
ahead. 



12 



SQUEAK AS “RED RIDING HOOD”: PIP PLAYS THE WOLF. 

My pets love games of “ make-believe;” and they often try to act their favourite 
stories. One afternoon they played at Red Riding Hood,” and a lot of flower-pots 
were placed along the path to represent the “ wood.” Pip was already in “ Grandmamma’s 
house ” (really the tool shed), resting in an egg box covered over with a rug. He looked 


Pip a.3 the 
Wolf was a 

LITTLE TOO 
BEAL. 


a most fearsome wolf, and in the middle of the play Squeak got really frightened and 
cried, “ Oh, it is you, isn’t it, Pip ? ” That is really the joy of these sort of games 
— sometimes we think the wolf or the giant is a real wolf or giant, although we know 
perfectly well it is only somebody dressed up. 

13 




“HOME-MADE’’ CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME: ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY. 



Pip, Squeak and Christopher produce “ Cinderella ” and — 



Squeak is 

MADE THE 

Baby again. 


a matinee performance of “ The 



Babes in the Wood.” 


14 


TWO PIP AND SQUEAK “TURNS” 


THAT WENT WRONG. 



“ No DECEPTION, 
Ladies and 
Gentlemen.” 



How Squeak helped Pip’s conjuring entertainment. 




VISITORS TO TEA”: A SHOCK FOR ANGELINE. 


Here is one of the many delicious jokes which my pets sometimes play on Angeline, 
our little maid-of-all-work.; It happened while Christopher, my nephew, was staying 
with us. He dressed up ini some old frocks he found in the attic, while Pip donned one 
of my best lounge coats and a soft hat. Then Squeak announced that “ visitors ” had 



Afteknoo:^ “Calless” arbive — 



—AND ABE FOUND OUT. 


arriwed. Poor Angeline was in a terrible flutter. As she was hurriedly putting her cap 
straight, Pip and Christopher walked into the room. She was very angry at first, but after- 
wards she saw the joke, and then she couldn’t stop laughing. Pip looks rather funny, 

don’t you think ? 

16 


MY PETS* HAPPIEST DAY— THE DISCOVERY OF WILFRED. 

One bright spring morning Pip and Squeak both had “ strangers ” in their tea cups. 
“I wonder who is coming?” said Squeak. “I feel sure it is somebody nice — I have 
such a lovely feeling inside ! ” “So have I,” said Pip. “ Perhaps it is not a ‘ stranger ’ 

but something nice to eat.” They both went out 
for a walk, and they had quite forgotten their 
talk at breakfast, when they saw, chasing butter- 
flies in a fleld, the funniest little fluffy creature 
with very long ears, big eyes, and a tail like a 
shaving brush. “ Oh, look ! ” cried Squeak. She 
could say 
no more 
— the tiny 

creature had instantly won her motherly heart. 

Pip was struck with a bright idea. “Let’s 
make him our pet,” he said. So, as you see 
here, Wilfred was adopted and brought home and 
“ entertained.” Pip gave him two big bones. 

17 




B 


Entkbtainkd to Detneb. 


EXCITING INCIDENTS 


IN WILFRED’S EARLY CAREER. 






Pip’s quick revenge on a mischievous boy. 
18 


WILFRED CUTS A TOOTH AND SAYS “NUNC, NUNC.” 



Wilfred’s first 


Mi “Beauty 
Sleep “ 
Disturbed. 


tooth causes 



great excitement. 



He says 


Teachinq 
the Baby 


TO Talk. 


“ Nunc ” for 



19 


“ Uncle.” 



PIP AND SQUEAK’S TOUR ON THE CONTINENT. 


Soon after Wilfred 
arrived Pip and Squeak 
were invited to France 
by M. Gustave le Blanc, 
a friend of mine. 

They departed in the 
gayest spirits, although 



they were sorry to leave 
the little rabbit behind. 

We see them here 
on the first stage of 
their journey. They 
were dreadfully sick 
crossing the Channel. 



Feeling 
seasick is 
not at all a 
plea sant 
sensation- 
have you 
ever had it? 



20 


THEY ARRIVE IN FRANCE AND MEET UNCLE GUS. 



Never will Pip and 
Squeak forget their 
arrival at Boulogne. 
M. le Blanc, whom they 
instantly called UnCle 
Gus, met them and 
conducted them to a 
restaurant, where they 
had lunch. Here they 



learnt for the first tiitie 
that Frenchmen some- 
times eat snails and 
frogs — the news so 
astonished Squeak that 
the silly penguin fell 
over and ruined Uncle 
Gus’s hat ! 


21 



OFF TO PARIS WHERE 


SQUEAK PROMPTLY GETS LOST. 




Paris train. 


“ More hueby, 

LESS SPEED.” 


They only just caught the 






Parisians were 

AMAZED AT 

THE ‘‘Talking 
Bird.” 



Squeak found by a gendarme in the Rue de Rivoli. 
22 



VISITING SWITZERLAND THEY START TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN- 



Uncle Gus shows Pip and Squeak the route. 



They begin their perilous climb — Squeak nearly lost over a precipice. 

23 


-AND, CAUGHT IN A BLIZZARD, THEY ALL FALL OFF. 


Here is 
to the top 


the most tragic moment in the lives of Pip and Squeak. They struggled on 
of the mountain and had just reached the top when they were overtaken by 
a terrible blizz- 
ard. To the last 
Pip kept up his 
courage. “ Stick 
it ! ” were his 
last words as, 
unable to hold 
on any longer, 
he slipped off. 

Uncle Gus and 
Squeak fol- 
lowed him. 

Those were 

_ anxious days. 

Going, going— 




24 


GLOOMY GUIDES GIVE UP PIPSCHWIGS ” AS LOST. 

You can imagine how upset I was when the first news of the pets’ tragic disappearance 
reached me. Some of the telegrams that passed between myself and M. Blinkenburg, 
the manager of the hotel where Pip and Squeak stayed, are not without interest. Here 
they are : — 

Londres. M. Le Blanc 
returned from Splitz 
off, snowstorm rag- 
warned them but would 
“ To Blinkenburg, 
search party, guides 
big reward. Wire latest 
“ ToUncle Dick,Lon- 
say Pipschwigs can res- 
risklives for dog andpar- 
Blanc. Blinkenburg.” 

“ To Blinkenburg, Splitz Hotel. Pip and Squeak not Pipschwigs penguin not parrot 
rescue immediately, don’t waste precious time hanging about hotel, get out with guides. 
Uncle Dick.” 

“ To Uncle Dick, Londres. Can’t go now, serving coffee in lounge. Blinkenburg.” 

25 


“ To Uncle Dick, 
and Pipschwigs not 
Mountains, fear slipped 
ing, terrific avalanche, 
go. Blinkenburg.” 
Hotel Splitz. Send 
and dog at once, offer 
news. Uncle Dick.” 
dres. Guides gloomy 
cue themselves, won’t 
rot, may try to save Le 



Not a sign of the Pets. 


WILFRED, AFTER A BRIEF HOLIDAY, RETURNS TO CHEER ME. 

Here is a happy little incident that happened during those anxious days when Pip and 
Squeak were missing. Wilfred, soon after the pets went abroad, also disappeared for a 
few days. He went back to his burrow, I suppose, to see his family. He returned to find 


a sorrowful house — Angeline weeping in the 



Somehow we were immensely glad to see the 


kitchen and myself moping before the fire. 



— Wilfred was a Great Comfort. 


little rabbit. When I heard his cheerful 


Nunc ! Nunc ! ” I felt sure we should have some good news. And sure enough, as 
you will see when you glance at the opposite page, we did. Good old Wilfred I 


26 



SAVED! BRAVE ST. BERNARD DOGS RESCUE PIP AND SQUEAK. 

The story of how the pets were saved is best told in the following telegram sent to me 
by Uncle Gus : — 

“ Uncle Dick, Londres. Saved. Reached top Mount Splitz, but overtaken snowstorm 
terrific. Peepsqueaks magnifique, courage superb, held on two hours freezing see nothing 
but snow. Began to slip off, heard Peep say ‘ Stick it. Squeak.’ ‘ Stick it,’ term of fare- 




well? Lost footing — ^fell, went down, down, down like three snowballs stuck in alright unhurt 
crawled to hut. Cuddled together — very frigid — three biscuits bite each per day. Wrote 
last message, when sound outside. Sniffing, whining, big animals. Rescue dogs — ^refresh- 
ments on back. Glorious. Rode back hotel. Excelsior. — Gustave le Blanc,” 


27 


HOMEWARD BOUND~A “WILLIAM TELL” ADVENTURE. 




Playing a game of “William Tell.” 


28 


“HOME, SWEET HOME”: A PRETTY NURSERY SCENE. 

After their exciting' tour abroad and their perilous adventure in the Swiss Alps, Pip 
and Squeak were overjoyed to get home. Their first thought, on arriving at my house, 
was the little rabbit, Wilfred. “ Where is he — oh, how is he ? ” cried Squeak. He 
has gone to bed, dear,” said Angeline. “ We always tuck him up at six.” The pets 
rushed up to the nursery, and when they saw their darling fast asleep in a little bed made 




out of a biscuit box they cried with pleasure. These pictures make me want to laugh 
and cry at the same time. Wilfred looks so serenely happy — he is smugly happy if any- 
thing. No doubt he is dreaming of himself and thinking what a splendid fellow he is 
It is quite a common feeling — I have known even boys look like that when they are 

particularly proud of themselves. 


SHOPPING ADVENTURE: SQUEAK STARTS A PENGUIN ‘‘CRAZE.” 



A comical street incident during 



the dark days when Pip had to be muzzled. 



80 



PUBLIC OCCASIONS IN LONDON: TWO NOTABLE APPEARANCES, 




Taking Past 

IN THE 

Thames Eiver 


Pageant. 


Pip plays “ Raleigh ” to Squeak’s 


“ Queen Elizabeth.” 



31 


FISHING INCIDENTS: EXCITING MOMENTS IN THE PARK. 



A passing steamer “ hooks ” Pip’s fish. 



Squeak thinks tiddlers are very nice to eat. 
32 


AT THE SEASIDE: SAD END OF A “PERFECT DAY” 


Once upon a time the pets visited the seaside. They went off with spades and shovels 
and shrimp nets and were looking forward to a nice quiet happy holiday, building sand 
castles and paddling in the waves. But when they arrived they were at once recognised 
by hundreds of boys and girls, and a sort of Bank Holiday riot at once began. The boys 
wanted to pat Pip, the girls were longing to stroke Wilfred, and the babies were simply 



dying to hug little Wilfred. Of course, they couldn’t do it all at once, and the result was 
that those children in front were squashed together like sandwiches, with the pets in the 
middle as the “ ham.” They received prompt attention at the first-aid tent. 


33 


SQUEAK’S COMIC BATHING COSTUME LEADS TO TROUBLE. 

Here we see a most thrilling adventure which happened when the pets were staying 
at a South Coast resort. Squeak — who, of course, is a wonderful swimmer and diver — 
thought she would have a bathe, wearing a little spotted bathing dress. She went out 
into the sea amid the applause of the large crowds on the beach. She soon got into difii- 




JUST EESCUED IN TIME. 


culties, however, and the boat “ Mary Jane ” had to be hurriedly launched, and an old 
sailor just pulled her out in time. Pip, of course, pluckily swam out to save his friend, 
but the boat got there first. How the crowd cheered them when they returned ! 


34 





’WARE BEES AND HEDGEHOGS! TWO PAINFUL DISCOVERIES. 





Pip will not sit on hedgehogs any more. 


S5 



SQUEAK GOT “IN THE PICTURE’* ALL RIGHT. 

One day while walking in the country the pets came across a girl painting a picture 
Pip and Squeak, like all young children, were very interested in the picture, and I regret 
to say their manners were very bad, because they didn’t go away when they were told 
to. Squeak said how much she would like to be in the picture, and she kept looking at 


it, first with one eye and then the other, as birds do. Wilfred was blowing at a dandelion 
to “ tell the time.” Suddenly, clumsy old Pip knocked against the easel, and down fell 
the picture on Squeak’s head. Her sharp bill cut a hole in the canvas. It was too bad ! 




36 


WILFRED’S relations PAY AN AFTERNOON CALL. 


One afternoon there was such a commotion in our garden. Five funny little rabbits 
came running in the gate, and when they saw Wilfred they squeaked with joy. Wilfred 
was their eldest brother ! Pip and Squeak took a great interest in the little creatures, 
and would no doubt have adopted them all if Angeline hadn’t firmly forbade it. So 


Five 

LITTLE 

Babbits 

•WHO ONCE 
CAME TO 

Tea. 


“ Please can you adopt ds ? 

the}^ played little rabbity games together on the lawn, one of which is a kind of French 
touch combined with “ rounders.” They went away after tea-time to their family 
burrow, and I trust they will grow up into good rabbits and be a credit to their parents, 

87 



“ So -SOBBY WE can’t.’ 



POPSKI, THE BOLSHEVIST DOG, APPEARS ON THE SCENE. 

Into the happy lives of our pets now comes a grim and sinister 
figure — the hound Popski. Below W'e see the sort of training 
Popski had in Russia, slinking behind the heels of a bomb- 
throwing Bolshevist ; how, on visiting this country, he started 
upsetting the peace of mind of our British dogs. Note the silly 
expression on the faces of the dog audience — they can’t quite 
make out what all the trouble is about. That big dog ought to know 
better, don’t you think ? It is a very funny thing, but you often 
notice how. 



Popski. 



■" 1 KPacMHCKaji . 

' I "I I 1 n ordinary 

^ life, a little 


insignificant 
man is far 
more “bump- 
tious ” than 
s omebody 
twice his size. 





38 


SQUEAK IS KIDNAPPED BY THE POPSKI GANG. 

Because he was 
with so many children, 
napped Squeak one 
taking her after-break- 
very pathetic to me 
captured she was 
rhyme to herself. Do 
of Popski peeping over 



jealous of her popularity 
Popski successfully kid- 
moming when she was 
fast stroll. It seems 
that when she was 
singing a little nursery 
you see the grim face 
the wall ? 




89 


DISGUISED AS A POODLE PIP RESCUES POOR SQUEAK. 







Some pic- 
tures which 
show that 
Pip is a 
cleverer 
dog than 
he looks. 


Disguised 
as a poodle 
he success- 
fully rescued 
Squeak and 
had Popski 
arrested. 

40 



POPSKrS TRIAL AND THE TERRIBLE SENTENCE. 


Pip. and Squeak, a boy judge and a jury of children, tried Popski on the charge of “ kid- 
napping Squeak and stirring up discontent among British dogs.” Needless to say the 
jury found him guilty, and then the judge pronounced sentence. “ I sentence you to be 
executed — like Charles the First,” he said — at which a little girl in the jury screamed. 



“ Not bad enough — not bad enough for him ! ” “ Well,” Continued the judge, “ I 

sentence you to — to be taken -away by a policeman ! ” Here there was another scream- 
from the same little girl in the jury. “ Oh, not that ! ” she cried, covering up her eyes. 
“ Oh, that is too awful ! ” But Popski was taken away by a policeman all the same. 


41 


BOTH PIP 



which, after the first 
day, he liked very 
much. Later on, when 
she was moulting, 
Squeak borrowed Pip’s 
“ jumper,” and she 
too looked very be- 
coming. Wilfred of 
course is very anxious 


AND SQUEAK HAVE WORN “JUMPERS.” 



While his 
hair was 
growing 
after the 
Popski ad- 
venture, 
Pip wore a 
sweet little 
“ jumper ” 




to wear a “ jumper ” 
too, and he has been 
promised one for his 
first birthday. I am 
looking forward to see- 
ing him in it. Squeak 
has promised him a 
cream-coloured “ jum- 
per ” edged with green. 


42 


A COMIC GAME OF “POOR JENNIE-SITS-A-WEEPING. 

Wlien out in the country the pets are always very anxious to join in the games of any 
children they may find playing in the meadows. Of course, they never have any real 
idea what the game is all about, but they enjoy the fun all the same. One afternoon 
they found some boys and girls playing “ Poor Jennie sits a-weeping,” and, after a little 


— “ THIS 
FINE 
SUNNY 
DAY.” 


while, tne children made Squeak “ Jennie,” and they danced round her with great 
delight. Squeak played the part very well, and did her best to weep. Then Wilfred 
was made “ Jennie,” but the little rabbit could not help his nose twitching and a Joyful 
expression coming over his face. Squeak declared he had spoiled the game, 

43 




WILFRED’S MOST WONDERFUL ADVENTURE: HE RUNS AWAY. 



S r ^ 




One never-to-be-for- 
gotten morning Wilfred 
decided to run away. 
He ran off — or rather 
“ lolloped off ” before 
breakfast, to “ see the 
world.” We see here 
the joyful start, and the 
heart-breaking attempts 



of Pip and Squeak to 
find their pet. All their 
efforts failed, and we 
all thought we should 
never see Wilfred again. 
He had completely dis- 
appeared, like the 
mysterious rabbit in the 
conjurer’s top hat. 


For many days Pip 
and Squeak searched 
for the little rabbit, 
but despite every effort 
no trace could be found 
of him. The pets lost 
their appetites and 
the poor penguin was 


ANXIOUS DAYS: SQUEAK HAS A NIGHTMARE. 

haunted with dreams, 


m 

n r 

rV/D -_N. r 
/^oo^ ^7- TVViiE. \ 

( s-/>rf=>Ty seo, 



■s z>c7/V''r 

/rs\ 

y as-E c/fy/A/e^ /J 


5 \ 


in which she pictured 
Wilfred being run over 
by steam rollers, chased 
by foxes, and even 
figuring as the chief 
item in a savoury 
pie; A s'ad picture. 



A FALSE ALARM- THE SHADOW ON THE BLIND. 


One night, when Wilfred had been missing for over a week, Pip and Squeak were 
astonished to see, on the blind, the shadow of a rabbit’s head moving up and down. 
Their hearts leapt with joy. “ It must be Wilfred ! ” they cried, and both rushed out 



A Thrilling Moment. 



A Street Boy’s Prank! 


to welcome him in. But, on arriving outside, all they saw was a small boy, making 
shadows on the blind with his hands from the light of the nearest lamp -post. It was a 
bitter disappointment, and, if the boy hadn’t run away, I am sure Pip would have bitten 
him. I almost wish he had. There are jokes and jokes. 


46 


WILFRED FOUND AT LAST BY MICKIE GALLANT. 

Mickie Gallant, aged three, comes into our story at this point. Mickie comes on and 
he goes off, and the next time we meet him he will probably have a long beard and keep 
rabbits of his own. For IVIickie is nothing whatever to do with our family — his only claim 
to fame is that he it was, who, on a bright sunny afternoon, went out and found Wilfred. 


And all 
Wilfred 

SAID WAS 

“ Nunc, 
Nunc.” 


Intboddcinq Mickie. 

He thought nothing of it whatever. Pip and Squeak and a crowd of people' discovered 
Mickie in a field asking the little rabbit “ to tea ! ” Fancy asking a baby bunny to tea ! 
Only three-year-olds would have the cheek to ask such a silly question ! But he found 
Wilfred anyway, so Mickie certainly deserves a little praise. Thanks awfully, IVIickie I 




*‘MY EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE”: WILFRED’S OWN STORY. 


I shouldn’t have been missing so long, only I 
took the wrong turning. I thought, before I went 
out to see the world, I would call on Auntie. I 
ran gaily in at the front door as usual, took the 
first to the right and the second to the left, and 
went straight on. But I must have taken the 
wrong turning somewhere — if you could crawl down 
a rabbit hole you would be surprised how many 
turnings there are ! — and I went on and on and 
on, and it got darker and darker and quieter and 
quieter until in the end I sat down and felt like 
having a good cry! 

All at once, I noticed, along the passage, a lot 
of green lights hanging up. I ran up to them and saw they were glowworms. They 
were hanging up over a funny little door let into the earth. 

There was a tiny door-knocker and a bell-pull, and I could not help pulling the bell to 
see what happened. Almost immediately the door opened, and a mole came out. 

“ Come in,” said the mole. “ You’re not- very big, but you’ll do. You can start work 
at once.” “ Start work ? ” I said. “ Of course,” said the mole. “ Didn’t you come in 
answer to my advertisement ? ” “ I’ve run away to see the world,” I said. 

“ Well, you’ll see the world here all right,” said the mole. “ We want a young rabbit 
to do odd jobs about the place. You’ll have two nights a week off, and your wages will 
be twenty turnip-tops a week.’^ 



Start Work?” I said. 


48 


AN “ODD-JOB” RABBIT IN A MOLE’S HOUSE. 


“ No lettuce ? ” I asked. “ Oh, we’ll give you a bit of lettuce sometimes for a treat.” 

I felt very upset about it all. I thought of dear Pip and Squeak, and wished I hadn’t 
run away. “ \^at work shall I have to do ? ” I asked. 

“ You’ll do all the sweeping and cleaning up,” said the mole. “ The ceiling is always 
falling down in our house. Then you will keep our coats well brushed — we are always 
going out to parties here — and in your odd moments you will look after the babies.” 

“ The babies ? ” I cried. 

“ We’ve only six at present, and it won’t take long to wash them and cut up their food 
and rock them to sleep. And, oh, I forgot grandmamma ! ” 

“ What does she want ? ” 

“ She’s quite blind, and must have a fat worm found her every half-hour.” 



(Here we see 
Wilfred hard 
at work in 
the mole’s 
house before 
he escaped.) 



D 


49 



MY PETS, INCLUDING WILFRED, MEASURE THEIR HEIGHTS. 

I suppose there is hardly anything so fascinating as seeing “ how much we have grown.” 
All of you, I expect, at some time or the other have measured your height against the wall 
or a door, and perhaps been delighted to find you have added an inch or two to 
your stature. The pets, like all children, take a great interest in their height, and here we 


see them busily engaged on this interesting task. But, alas, I hope you will forgive 
Wilfred. Not to be outdone by Pip and Squeak, he has deliberately cheated — and the 
little silly looks as if he expected us to believe he didn’t ! But he’s only a baby. 




Whufred “ Measured ” — 


50 ' 


MY NEPHEW CHRISTOPHER SPENDS THE WEEK-END WITH US. 



When Chris- 
topher (de- 
scribed by his 
mother as 
“a darling”) 
first came to 
our house he 
was very 
naughty. 




Pip and 
S queak, 
h o w eve r , 
planned a 
glorious 
revenge, 
after which 
they all 
became 
friends. 



61 


A TYPICAL HALF-HOUR IN OUR HOUSE. 



“ What makes the piano play ? 



AUNT EMMA AND HER WONDERFUL PARROT. 



Aunt Emma is very 
prim and proper, and 
sometimes, when the 
pets go to see her, she 
“ lectures ” them for 
quite a long time. If 
she begins “ I remem- 
ber when I was a little 



girl ” then you 

know you are going 
to have a “lecture.” 
Here you see the pets 
at Aunt Emma’s, and 
below a picture of Polly 
the parrot who, for 
some little time, went 
on “ hunger-strike.’* 


53 


“YE NEW CANTERBURY PILGRIMS”: WILFRED’S LITTLE BOOTS. 


Pip, Squeak and 
Wilfred started off to 
walk to Canterbury, like 
the pilgrims of olden 
days. They had not 
gone far, however, when 
Wilfred’s feet began to 
ache. So Squeak got 
him some little woollen 



“ boots,” like babies 
wear, and they all went 
off happily after that 
and arrived safely at 
Canterbury, where the 
rooks gave them a 
rather haughty wel- 
come. But, after all, 
they were very polite. 



Full Speed Ahead 1 


Rooks are 
very curious 
birds, don’t 
you think ? 
I love to 
hear them at 
dusk — they 
make such a 
fuss putting 
the children 
to bed ! 

54 



“SHOWING HANDS” AFTER A MISCHIEVOUS DAY. 



Owls scare 


Attics, are 

SPLENDIU 
PLACES TO 
EXPLORE. 





them from the arric. 



Every night 

THE PETS 
“ SHOW HANDS.’ 


Wilfred tried to hide a dirty paw 






BEHIND THE SCENES OF “PETER PAN.” 



They meet Nana and the Cr-r-r-r-oeodile. 



GARDEN ADVENTURES: WILFRED AS A “SQUIRREL" 



Wilfred didn't see why he shouldn’t have a squirrel's tail, too ! 



SQUEAK IS CROWNED “QUEEN OF THE MAY.’* 


Here are two comical 
when they were staying 
children met them and 
“ May Queen.” After- 
lambs, the innocent pen- 
girl they met must be 
It is interesting to note, 
girl was not a bit 
called Mary — she was 
herself face to face with 
think of nothing else. 





adventures of the pets 
in the country. Some 
made Squeak their 
wards, seeing some 
guin thought a little 
the world-famous Mary ! 
however, that the little 
astonished by being 
so delighted to find 
the pets that she could 



58 




k FUNNY INCIDENT AT A PARTY. 

Pip and Squeak, like most boys and girls, love parties — chiefly, I’m afraid, because 
there are nice- things to eat. I remember they once went to a party to celebrate 
the seventh birthday of a boy named Alexander Claude. With such a dignified name 
he certainly should have known better, but — he ate too much. He had seven cream-buns, 



four raspberry tarts, and six slices of iced cake. And then the time for games started. 
The children played at “ Wild Animals,” and Squeak pretended she was an ostrich, her 
favourite bird. But no Alexander Claude could be found. At last he was discovered 
looking very green in a corner. “ What animal will you be ? ” asked the pets, and poor 
Alexander Claude could only stammer, “ I want to be — I want to be — sick ! ” 


59 


MY PETS DREAM THEY ARE REAL CHILDREN- 

Some' time ago Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred dreamed they were real children. Pip was 
delighted to find himself a boy with serge “ knickers ” to put on ; Squeak saw, with 
tremendous joy, a white frock, inset with pale blue ribbons, hanging by her bed ; Wilfred 
was astounded to find himself attired in a mysterious garment which made him either a 
boy or a girl. They all came rushing down to me. “ Oh, Uncle,” they cried, “ aren’t you 




glad — look at us — we’re real children ! ” And, in the dream, I said, “ My dears, I can’t 
say how pleased I am — I’ll get up at once ! ” For a little while the dream went on and 
the three comic figures danced out into the street, and for the first time realised the joy 
of being human. Pip asked a policeman the time ; Squeak looked in the shops and thought 
of all the lovely things she would like to buy, 

60 


-BUT, ALAS, THEY ALL WOKE UR 

Gradually, as happens in all dreams, a change came over the world ; the sky grew ha2y 
and the lamp-posts turned into hoops and went bowling along the street at a tremendous 
pace. Pip found himself very angry and making funny “ growly ” noises in his throat, 
and then they all woke up. ^ 

Pip found he was still a dog. Squeak saw she was merely a penguin. 


Wilfred realised that after all he was only a rabbit. 

So they all got up rather sadly and started the day as usual, but they hadn’t much 
appetite for breakfast. 

This little story, perhaps, will explain why I am rather fond of Pip, Squeak, and 
Wilfred. I, too, have my dreams. And when I dream of them they are not dog, 
penguin, and rabbit, but little people — just like you. 

61 




—And Wake Up I 



GOOD-NIGHT ! 



‘•And all bound the candle the cbooked shadows come, 
And go marching along up the stair.”— E. L. S. 


62 








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